Zucchini Caprese Salad

Oh, hi there. Remember me? It’s been awhile. Before that grilled fish taco recipe, it had been a long while. Give me break though, we just moved to Colorado!

Between the sorting and packing and the loading and the driving and the unpacking – oh, the unpacking. If you ever rent a place site unseen from across the country, be sure to ask the landlord how many stairs you’ll have. Just… trust me. By the third trip up the stairs, I was seriously questioning my sanity and my judgement. I was also trying to figure out how to rig up a pulley system to haul everything up through the windows.

But now, I can finally sit down, take a deep breath, relax, aaaaaand get back to business. You’ve all been incredibly patient – it’s been too long since we sent a new recipe into the interweb. And you’re still here, reading this and caring about what I have to say. Thanks for that, you wonderful people! *Big Internet hugs!*

Like I said – back to business. The business of birthing this summer dream of a caprese salad into existence. Our spiralizer was near the top of the first “kitchen” box that we unpacked, a conscious decision that I made when we were packing. It’s zucchini season and I knew I’d be craving it ASAP. (If you don’t have a spiralizer, you could certainly chop your zucchini into matchsticks or cube it. Or you can buy one and enjoy spiralized veggies forever!. )

We mixed up a variation on one of my go-to homemade dressings because it’s so good at complimenting summer flavors. And most importantly, it’s just thick enough to cling to every crunchy zucchini spiral, all the fresh bites of mozzarella, and the ripe tomatoes.  I have a new favorite hot weather meal – it’s easy to make, requires very little cleanup, and somehow manages to be light and filling at the same time. It’s veggie magic!

So this is the first recipe in our new kitchen, in our new apartment, in our new city. And after I took the pictures, we sat down in our camp chairs to share our first meal together – this salad.

We’re completely avoiding turning on the oven right now, so you can expect more cook-free and summer-heat-friendly recipes coming your way soon.

If you enjoyed this zucchini caprese salad recipe let us know in the comments!

How to Make Zucchini Caprese Salad

Jordan Cord

Zucchini Caprese Salad

5 from 1 vote

Crunchy zucchini noodles are tossed in a quick olive oil balsamic dressing and mixed with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella for a light summer side dish.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Calories: 143

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Salad

• 3 medium zucchinis
• 3 roma tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh mozzarella*
• 2 Tablespoons fresh basil chopped

Dressing

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 Tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Method

 

Dressing

1. I like to do things the easy way when it comes to dressing. If you have a mason jar, I recommend combining the dressing ingredients in the jar and shake until well-combined.
2. If you don't have a mason jar, you can simply add everything to a small bowl and whisk until combined.

Salad

1. Wash zucchinis and chop off the ends. Using the medium blade, spiralize the zucchini and set the noodles aside in a large bowl. Don't forget to trim the zoodles as you go – otherwise you'll end up with one long zoodle!
2. Chop the tomatoes – just a little larger than diced. Chop the basil.
3. Fresh mozzarella usually comes in water or olive oil – be sure to drain it before adding to the salad.
4. Add the tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella to the bowl of zucchini. Toss to mix everything up, then pour in the dressing and toss again until well-coated.
5. Serve chilled.

Notes

*We used fresh mozzarella balls which you can find in the deli area at most grocery stores. If they don't have the small containers, you can get one of the large pieces and chop it into smaller bites for the salad.